Univar Solutions to showcase dosage form solutions, GLP-1 support, and healthy aging at SupplySide Global 2025

Sebastian Krawiec: So there are a range of dosage formats on the market currently that meet a variety of consumer needs. What are some of the dosage formats that Univar Solutions will be showcasing a SupplySide Global and how are they tailored to specific product categories or consumer segments?

Ernest De Freitas: So we're excited about SupplySide Global. It's an important event to engage with the industry as I think about Univar Solutions’ mission statement to keep our communities healthy, fed, clean and safe. I'm encouraged about the prototypes that we'll be exhibiting at the event. We'll be showcasing our Powered By ingredients prototype kits, along with sharing new and innovative formulations with our Power a Healthy Tomorrow concepts. These are designed specifically for the nutraceutical applications. They offer various health benefits, each uniquely formulated with specific things in mind. So within that kit, we'll have orally disintegrating tablets, chewable tablets, effervescent tablets, bars and ready to mix powders.

From a dosage form perspective, we continue to see some pill fatigue. So orally disintegrating tablets, effervescent tablets, and easy-to-swallow capsules continue to be formats that we see increased interest. With that in mind, we have a bunch of prototypes we'll be exhibiting. So we'll have a daily hydration effervescent tablet. It's a refreshing, quick dissolving, effervescent tablet with high bioavailable potassium, high potency magnesium and sodium; a prenatal health energy and immunity capsule; highly absorbable iron combined with essential vitamins and minerals, including choline, folic acid, vitamin C and D and zinc for optimal health for mother and baby; healthy skin, hair and nail powder, it's a blend of collagen, peptides and vitamins that are essential for healthy skin, hair and nails; energy boost and metabolism capsule; a functional antioxidant formulation; a gut health digestion, chewable tablet. This is a highly absorbable tablet that delivers one gram of fiber per tablet with a sweet and natural taste and a desirable mouth feel. We'll have a women's wellness ginger and shatavari capsule. And this product has ginger, which is clinically studied for sustained release ginger extract that will help with menstrual discomfort and nausea. So, we have a variety of formats that we'll be showing at SupplySide Global, and we're hoping to meet some of the changing demands that we see within the consumer base.

Sebastian Krawiec: You mentioned pill fatigue and some of these changing consumer demands. I wonder if you can kind of elaborate more on some of the trends you've observed with regard to dosage formats and or preferred dosage formats from consumers.

Ernest De Freitas: Yeah, as I mentioned previously, we continue to see strong interest in oral dosage formats. It's still the most popular way that people like to take medications and nutraceuticals, but we continue to see people with an interest in plant derived capsules as well. And we're very, very proud of the partnerships that we have in meeting some of those demands within the marketplace. And we continue to work on effervescent tablets, which continues to be something that we're seeing a lot of interest in, especially with those living a very active lifestyle.

Sebastian Krawiec: So, with the growing popularity of GLP-1 receptor agonist drugs, I'm seeing many companies in industry are taking advantage of this opportunity to tailor products to GLP-1 users. Does Univar sees same opportunity, and how is Univar equipped to deliver solutions to this consumer segment.

Ernest De Freitas: We see a large opportunity here. There's just obviously a growing consumer demand. GLP-1 medicines have dramatically changed how millions of people experience food and beverages. This is not just about appetite. It's about nutrition and wellbeing. The category of drugs is transforming consumer behavior, product expectations and the relationships that people have with everything that they ingest. Consumers are expecting more out of their products. People want to know and understand what they're putting into their bodies and the effects that they're going to have on them. So, generally speaking, we're seeing GLP-1 consumers eating less, but they need more out with every bite or every sip. So, dehydration, appetite suppression and early satiety are real issues that consumers are facing while on this medication. Nutraceuticals and food can play an important role in supporting consumers through their GLP-1 journey, whether it's a hydration solution to help with dehydration, a protein solution to assist with muscle loss or fiber or bone density. There are many ways that Univar Solutions can support consumers as they navigate through the potential side effects of a GLP-1 medication, we stand ready to support consumers, whether it's with sourcing to meet some of the aforementioned needs, or formulation assistance, as we have food and pharmaceutical formulation labs that are equipped to assist with any type of formulation, so I think that Univar Solution sits at like the cross section of science and technology. We're here to help our customers evaluate ingredients and accelerate their launch to the marketplace. So I guess my final statement would be, if this is a market or an area that people are looking to explore, reach out to someone. We've got a lot of technical specialists that are here to support whether it's in formulation or product evaluation going forward in the future, great.

Sebastian Krawiec: So healthy aging, longevity are another example of a growing category. What is Univar’s approach to healthy aging/ longevity?

Ernest De Freitas: Univar Solutions takes a holistic approach to healthy aging, and we look to address three key pillars: mobility, cognition and digestive health. But we're also looking at the whole body. It's about overall quality of life. And I think back to the mission statement that I've mentioned a little while ago. We want to keep our communities healthy, and part of that is supporting healthy aging. But healthy aging doesn't just start at an advanced age. There are protocols that should be lifelong and that will support a healthy overall lifestyle. And as the senior population is projected to double by 2050, we recognize the importance of providing formulators with science backed, clinically supported ingredients that truly make a difference, so we offer a wide range of proteins or bioactive ingredients to help to maintain strength, bone density and joint integrity. So, we have highly bioavailable curcuminoids that support joint comfort and mobility. We also understand that cognition is pretty important as well, and we have a variety of products that are able to help in that area as well.